Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Ebionites, or Ebionaioi (Greek: ; derived write against a heresiarch called Ebion; scholars believe
from Hebrew ebyonim, ebionim, meaning the he derived this name from a literal reading of Ebion-
poor or poor ones), is a patristic term referring to a aioi as followers of Ebion, a derivation now considered
Jewish Christian movement that existed during the early mistaken for lack of any more substantial references to
centuries of the Christian Era.[1] They regarded Jesus of such a gure.[11][13] The term the poor (Greek ptkho)
Nazareth as the Messiah while rejecting his divinity[2] was still used in its original, more general sense.[11][13]
and insisted on the necessity of following Jewish law Modern Hebrew still uses the Biblical Hebrew term the
and rites.[3] The Ebionites used only one of the Jewish needy both in histories of Christianity for Ebionites
Gospels, revered James the Just, and rejected Paul the ( )and for almsgiving to the needy at Purim.[20]
Apostle as an apostate from the Law.[4] Their name sug-
gests that they placed a special value on voluntary poverty.
Ebionim was one of the terms used by the sect at Qumran 2 History
that sought to separate themselves from the corruption of
the Temple, whom many believe were Essenes.[5]
The earliest reference to a group that might t the de-
Since historical records by the Ebionites are scarce, frag- scription of the later Ebionites appears in Justin Mar-
mentary and disputed, much of what is known or con- tyr's Dialogue with Trypho (c. 140). Justin distin-
jectured about the Ebionites derives from the Church Fa- guishes between Jewish Christians who observe the Law
thers, who wrote polemics against the Ebionites, whom of Moses but do not require its observance upon oth-
they deemed heretical Judaizers.[6][7] Consequently, very ers, and those who believe the Mosaic Law to be oblig-
little about the Ebionite sect or sects is known with cer- atory on all.[21] Irenaeus (c. 180) was probably the
tainty, and most, if not all, statements about them are con- rst to use the term Ebionites to describe a heretical
jectural. judaizing sect, which he regarded as stubbornly cling-
At least one scholar distinguishes the Ebionites from other ing to the Law.[22] Origen (c. 212) remarks that the
Jewish Christian groups, e.g., the Nazarenes;[8] other name derives from the Hebrew word evyon, meaning
scholarsand the Church Fathers from the rst centuries poor.[23] Epiphanius of Salamis in the 4th century gives
after Christ, themselvesconsider the Ebionites identical the most complete but also questionable account in his
with the Nazarenes.[8][9] heresiology called Panarion, denouncing eighty hereti-
cal sects, among them the Ebionites.[24][25] Epiphanius
mostly gives general descriptions of their religious beliefs
and includes quotations from their gospels, which have
1 Name not survived. According to the Encyclopdia Britannica
(2011), the Ebionite movement may have arisen about the
time of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
The term Ebionites derives from the common adjective
for poor in Hebrew (singular: evyn, plural: (AD 70).[26]
evynim),[10][11][12] which occurs fteen times Paul talks of his collection for the poor among the saints
in the Psalms and was the self-given term of some pi- in the Jerusalem church, but this is generally taken as
ous Jewish circles (e.g. Psalm 69:33 (For the LORD meaning the poorer members of the church rather than
heareth the poor) and 1 QpHab XII, 3.6.10).[13] The a schismatic group.[27]
term Ebionim was also a self description given by the The actual number of groups described as Ebionites
people who were living in Qumran, as shown in the Dead is dicult to ascertain, as the contradictory patristic
Sea Scrolls. The term the poor was at rst a common accounts in their attempt to distinguish various sects,
designation for all Christians - a reference to their mate- sometimes confuse them with each other.[13] Other
rial and voluntary poverty.[11][14][15] groups mentioned are the Carpocratians, the Cerinthians,
The graecized Hebrew term Ebionite (Ebionai) was rst the Elcesaites, the 4th century Nazarenes, and the
applied by Irenaeus in the 2nd century without making Sampsaeans, most of whom were Jewish Christian sects
mention of Nazarenes (c.180 CE).[16][17] Origen wrote who held gnostic or other views rejected by the Ebionites.
for Ebion signies 'poor' among the Jews, and those Epiphanius, however, mentions that a group of Ebionites
Jews who have received Jesus as Christ are called by came to embrace some of these views despite keeping
the name of Ebionites.[18][19] Tertullian was the rst to their name.[28]
1
2 3 VIEWS AND PRACTICES
As the Ebionites are rst mentioned as such in the 2nd (1987) their decline was due to marginalization and
century, their earlier history and any relation to the rst "persecution" by both Jews and Christians.[4] Following
Jerusalem church remains obscure and a matter of con- the defeat of the rebellion and the expulsion of all Jews
tention. There is no evidence linking the origin of the from Judea, Jerusalem became the Gentile city of Aelia
later sect of the Ebionites with the First Jewish-Roman Capitolina. Many of the Jewish Christians residing at
War of 6670 CE, or that prior to that they formed part Pella renounced their Jewish practices at this time and
of the Jerusalem church led by Jesus brother James. Eu- joined to the mainstream Christian church. Those who
sebius relates a tradition, probably based on Aristo of remained at Pella and continued in obedience to the Law
Pella, that the early Christians left Jerusalem just prior were deemed heretics.[31] In 375, Epiphanius records the
to the war and ed to Pella beyond the Jordan River, but settlement of Ebionites on Cyprus, but by the mid-5th
does not connect this with Ebionites.[11][13] They were led century, Theodoret of Cyrrhus reported that they were
by Simeon of Jerusalem (d. 107) and during the Second no longer present in the region.[28]
Jewish-Roman War of 115117, they were persecuted by
the Jewish followers of Bar Kochba for refusing to rec-
ognize his messianic claims.[28] 2.1 Last days of the Ebionite sect
3.1 Judaic and Gnostic Ebionitism 3.2 Ebionite views on John the Baptist
3.4 James and the Ebionites relatives of Jesus. Epiphanius relates that the Ebionites
opposed the Apostle Paul, whom they saw as responsible
that gentile Christians did not have to be circumcised, nor
One of the popular primary connections of the Ebion-
otherwise follow the Law of Moses, and named him an
ites to James is that noted by William Whiston in his
apostate.[22] Epiphanius further relates that some Ebion-
edition of Josephus (1794) where he notes regarding the
ites alleged that Paul was a Greek who converted to Ju-
murder of James the Just, we must remember what
daism in order to marry the daughter of a high priest of
we learn from the Ebionite fragments of Hegesippus,
Israel but apostatized when she rejected him.[84][85]
that these Ebionites interpreted a prophecy of Isaiah as
foretelling this very murder[61] That Hegesippus made As an alternative to the traditional view of Eusebius, that
this connection from Isaiah is undisputed,[62] however the Jerusalem church simply became integrated with the
Whistons identication of Hegesippus as an Ebionite, Gentile church, other scholars, such as Richard Bauck-
while common in 18th and 19th century scholarship, is ham, suggest immediate successors to the Jerusalem
debatable.[63] Church under James and the relatives of Jesus were the
Nazoraeans, who accepted Paul, while the Ebionites were
The other popularly proposed connection is that the
a later oshoot of the early 2nd century.[86][87]
Ascents of James in the Pseudo-Clementine literature are
related to the Ebionites.[64]
The Book of Acts begins by showing Peter as leader of
the Jerusalem church - the only church in existence im-
4 Ebionite Writings
mediately after the ascension. Though several years later
Paul lists James prior to Cephas (Peter) and John as Few writings of the Ebionites have survived, and these are
those considered pillars (Greek styloi) of the Jerusalem in uncertain form. The Recognitions of Clement and the
Church.[65] Eusebius records that Clement of Alexan- Clementine Homilies, two 3rd-century Christian works,
dria wrote that Peter, James, and John chose James the are regarded by general scholarly consensus as largely
Just as bishop of Jerusalem, but Eusebius also subjects or entirely Jewish Christian in origin and reect Jew-
James to the authority of all the apostles.[66] Peter bap- ish Christian beliefs. The exact relationship between the
tised Cornelius the Centurion, introducing uncircumcised Ebionites and these writings is debated, but Epiphaniuss
Gentiles into the church in Judea.[67][68] Paul, Apostle to description of some Ebionites in Panarion 30 bears a
the Gentiles, established many churches[69] and developed striking similarity to the ideas in the Recognitions and
a Christian theology (see Pauline Christianity). At the Homilies. Scholar Glenn Alan Koch speculates that
Council of Jerusalem (c 49),[68] Paul argued to abrogate Epiphanius likely relied upon a version of the Homilies as
Mosaic observances[70] for non-Jewish converts. When a source document.[25] Some scholars also speculate that
Paul recounted the events to the Galatians (Galatians 2:9- the core of the Gospel of Barnabas, beneath a polemical
10), he referred only to the remembrance of the poor medieval Muslim overlay, may have been based upon an
rather than conveying the four points of the Council of Ebionite or gnostic document.[88] The existence and ori-
Jerusalem (Acts 15:19-21). James Dunn[71] notes the gin of this source continues to be debated by scholars.[89]
conciliatory role of James as depicted in Acts in the ten- John Arendzen (Catholic Encyclopedia article Ebion-
sion between Paul and those urging the Law of Moses ites 1909) classies the Ebionite writings into four
upon Gentiles. groups.[90]
According to Eusebius, after the death of James the
Jerusalem church ed to Pella, Jordan[72] to escape the
siege of the future Emperor Titus, and then after the Bar 4.1 Gospel of the Ebionites
Kokhba revolt the Jerusalem church was permitted to re-
main in the renamed Aelia Capitolina, but notably from Irenaeus stated that the Ebionites used Matthews Gospel
this point onward all bishops of Jerusalem bear Greek exclusively.[91] Eusebius of Caesarea later wrote that they
rather than evidently Jewish names.[73][74] used only the Gospel of the Hebrews.[92] From this the
minority view of James R. Edwards (2009) and Bodleys
Scholars such as: Pierre-Antoine Bernheim,[75] Robert Librarian Edward Nicholson (1879) claims that there
Eisenman,[76][77] Will Durant, Michael Goulder,[78] Gerd was only one Hebrew gospel in circulation, Matthews
Ludemann,[79] John Painter,[80] and James Tabor, argue Gospel of the Hebrews. They also note that the title
for some form of continuity of the Jewish Jerusalem Gospel of the Ebionites, was never used by anyone in
church into the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and that the Ebion- the early Church.[93][94][95] Epiphanius contended that the
ites regarded James the Just as their leader. gospel the Ebionites used, was written by Matthew and
Against this scholars including Richard Bauckham dis- called the Gospel of the Hebrews.[96] Because Epiphanius
tinguish the high Christology practiced by the Jerusalem said that it was not wholly complete, but falsied and
Church under James with the low Christology later mutilated...,[97] writers such as Walter Richard Cassels
adopted by the Ebionites.[81] Tabor argues[82][83] that the (1877), and Pierson Parker (1940) consider it a dierent
Ebionites claimed a dynastic apostolic succession for the edition of Matthews Hebrew Gospel.[98][99] However,
5
internal evidence from the quotations in Panarion 30.13.4 name Elkesai to be Aramaic El Ksai, meaning Hidden
and 30.13.7 suggest that the text was a Gospel harmony Power (Panarion 19.2.1). Scholar Petri Luomanen be-
originally composed in Greek.[100] lieves the book to have been written originally in Ara-
Mainstream scholarly texts, such as the standard edition maic as a[110]
Jewish apocalypse, probably in Babylonia, in
of the New Testament Apocrypha edited by Wilhelm 116-117.
Schneemelcher generally refer to the text Jerome cites
as used by the Ebionites as the Gospel of the Ebion-
ites, though this is not a term current in the Early
Church.[101][102] 5 Religious and critical perspec-
tives
4.2 Clementine literature
The mainstream Christian view of the Ebionites is partly
The collection of New Testament apocrypha known as based on interpretation of the polemical views of the
the Clementine literature included three works known in Church Fathers who portrayed them as heretics for reject-
antiquity as the Circuits of Peter, the Acts of the Apos- ing many of the central Christian views of Jesus, and al-
tles and a work usually titled the Ascents of James. They legedly having an improper xation on the Law of Moses
are specically referenced by Epiphanius in his polemic at the expense of the grace of God.[90] In this view, the
against the Ebionites. The rst-named books are substan- Ebionites may have been the descendants of a Jewish
tially contained in the Homilies of Clement under the ti- Christian sect within the early Jerusalem church which
tle of Clements Compendium of Peters itinerary sermons, broke away from its mainstream theology.[111]
and also in the Recognitions attributed to Clement. They
form an early Christian didactic ction to express Jewish
Christian views, i.e. the primacy of James the Just, their
connection with the episcopal see of Rome, and their an-
5.1 Modern movements
tagonism to Simon Magus, as well as gnostic doctrines.
Scholar Robert E. Van Voorst opines of the Ascents of The counter-missionary group Jews for Judaism favor-
James (R 1.3371), There is, in fact, no section of the ably mentions the historical Ebionites in their literature
Clementine literature about whose origin in Jewish Chris- in order to argue that "Messianic Judaism", as promoted
tianity one may be more certain.[44] Despite this asser- by missionary groups such as Jews for Jesus, is Pauline
tion, he expresses reservations that the material is gen- Christianity misrepresenting itself as Judaism.[112] Some
uinely Ebionite in origin. Messianic groups have expressed concern over leaders
in Israel that deny Jesus divinity and the possible col-
lapse of the Messianic movement due to a resurgence
4.3 Symmachus of Ebionitism.[113][114] In a recent polemic, a Messianic
leader asked whether Christians should imitate the Torah-
[115]
Symmachus produced a translation of the Hebrew Bible observance of neo-Ebionites.
in Koine Greek, which was used by Jerome and is still ex- The website Judaism vs Christianity rejects Paul, and
tant in fragments, and his lost Hypomnemata, written to along with him, Peter and Luke (who acknowledge Pauls
counter the canonical Gospel of Matthew. Although lost, ministry), in favor of a more Jewish Christianity.[116]
the Hypomnemata[103][104] is probably identical to De dis-
tinctione prceptorum mentioned by Ebed Jesu (Asse-
mani, Bibl. Or., III, 1). The identity of Symmachus as an
Ebionite has been questioned in recent scholarship.[105] 5.2 Islam
[3] Kohler, Kaufmann (19011906). Ebionites. In Singer, [18] Origen, Contra Celsum, II, 1.
Isidore; Alder, Cyrus. Jewish Encyclopedia..
[19] ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part
[4] Hyam Maccoby (1987). The Mythmaker: Paul and the Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First
Invention of Christianity. HarperCollins. pp. 172183. and Second | Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ISBN 0-06-250585-8., an abridgement [20] The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary 9780198601722.
[5] Eisenman, Robert (2002), James, the Brother of Jesus [21] Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 47.
(Watkins)
[22] Irenaeus of Lyon, Adversus Haereses I, 26; II,21.
[6] Klijn, AFJ; Reinink, GJ (1973). Patristic Evidence for
Jewish-Christian Sects. Brill. ISBN 90-04-03763-2. [23] Origen, De Principiis, IV, 22.
[24] Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion, 30.
[7] Church Fathers on the Ebionites (Wikisource).
[25] Glenn Alan Koch (1976). A Critical Investigation of
[8] Hegg, Tim (2007). The Virgin Birth An Inquiry into Epiphanius Knowledge of the Ebionites: A Translation
the Biblical Doctrine (PDF). TorahResource. Retrieved and Critical Discussion of 'Panarion' 30. University of
13 August 2007. Pennsylvania.
[9] Jerey Butz, The Secret Legacy of Jesus, ISBN 978-1- [26] author not given, Encyclopdia Britannica article Ebionite
59477-307-5, In fact, the Ebionites and the Nazarenes
are one and the same. pg 124; Following the devastation [27] Some scholars see the title present already in Pauls
of the Jewish War, the Nazarenes took refuge in Pella, a references to a collection for the poor in Jerusalem
community in exile, where they lay in anxious wait with (Gal.1:10). But in Rom.15:26 Paul distinguishes this
their fellow Jews. From this point on it is preferable to group from the other Jerusalem believers by speaking of
call them the Ebionites. There was no clear demarca- the poor among the saints. In 2 Cor.9:12 Paul further
tion or formal transition from Nazarene to Ebionite; there conrms the economic, or literal, aspect by speaking of
was no sudden change of theology or Christology., pg the collection as making up for the deciencies of the
137; While the writings of later church fathers speak of saints. E. Stanley Jones, '"Ebionites, in Eerdmans Dic-
Nazarenes and Ebionites as if they were dierent Jewish tionary of the Bible, Amsterdam University Press, 2000
Christian groups, they are mistaken in that assessment. p.364.
The Nazarenes and the Ebionites were one and the same
[28] Henry Wace & William Piercy (1911). A Dictionary of
group, but for clarity we will refer to the pre-70 group in
Early Christian Biography. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
Jerusalem as Nazarenes, and the post-70 group in Pella
and elsewhere as Ebionites., pg 137; [29] Adolf von Harnack, The History of Dogma, Chapter VI.
The Christianity of the Jewish Christians, 1907, ISBN
[10] Online Gesenius' entry in Hebrew Lexicon, with link to 978-1-57910-067-4.
61 Hebrew Bible uses
[30] Brandon, S. G. F (1968). The fall of Jerusalem and the
[11] G. Uhlhorn, Ebionites, in: A Religious Encyclopaedia or Christian church: A study of the eects of the Jewish over-
Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical throw of A. D. 70 on Christianity. S.P. C.K. ISBN 0-281-
Theology, 3rd ed. (edited by Philip Scha), p. 684685 00450-1.
(vol. 2).
[31] Edward Gibbon (2003). The Decline and Fall of the Ro-
[12] The word is still in use in that sense in contemporary Is- man Empire, ch. 15, p. 390391. Random House, NY.
raeli Hebrew ISBN 0-375-75811-9. Chapter 15. Retrieved 2 August
2007.
[13] O. Cullmann, Ebioniten, in: Religion in Geschichte und
Gegenwart, p. 7435 (vol. 2). [32] Shlomo Pines (1966). The Jewish Christians Of The Early
Centuries Of Christianity According To A New Source. Pro-
[14] Minucius Felix, Octavius, 36: That we are called the poor ceedings of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humani-
is not our disgrace, but our glory. ties II, No. 13. OCLC 13610178.
7
[33] Marcus N. Adler (1907). The Itinerary of Benjamin [50] Bart D. Ehrman (2003). Lost Scriptures: Books that Did
of Tudela: Critical Text, Translation and Commentary. Not Make It into the New Testament. Oxford University
Phillip Feldheim. pp. 7072. Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-19-514182-2. p.13 - Referring to
Epiphanius quotation from the Gospel of the Ebionites in
[34] Muhammad al-Shahrastani (2002). The Book of Religious Panarion 30.13, And his food, it says, was wild honey
and Philosophical Sects, William Cureton edition. Gorgias whose taste was of manna, as cake in oil.
Press. p. 167.
[51] Textual Apparatus of the UBS Greek New Testament
[35] Hans-Joachim Schoeps (1969). Jewish Christianity: Fac- United Bible Societies 1993 - with Peshitta, Old Latin etc.
tional Disputes in the Early Church. Translation Douglas
R. A. Hare. Fortress Press. [52] James A. Kelhoer, The Diet of John the Baptist, ISBN
978-3-16-148460-5, pp. 19-21
[36] Epiphanius, Panarion, 19:2830.
[53] G.R.S. Mead (2007). Gnostic John the Baptizer: Selec-
[37] Epiphanius, Panarion, 30, 14, 5. tions from the Mandan John-Book. Forgotten Books. p.
104. ISBN 978-1-60506-210-5. p.104 - And when he
[38] Epiphanius, Panarion, 30, 16, 4-5. had been brought to Archelaus and the doctors of the Law
had assembled, they asked him who he is and where he has
[39] Epiphanius, Panarion, 30, 18, 79. been until then. And to this he made answer and spake: I
am pure; [for] the Spirit of God hath led me on, and [I live
[40] Epiphanius, Panarion, 30.22.4 on] cane and roots and tree-food."
[41] W.M. Ramsey (1912). The Tekmoreian Guest- [54] Eisenman, Robert (2002), James the Brother of Jesus
Friends. Journal of Hellenic Studies 32: 151170.
doi:10.2307/624138. JSTOR 624138. [55] Gospel of the Hebrews as quoted by Hieronymus (Jerome)
in On Illustrious Men, 2.
[42] Exarch Anthony J. Aneed (1919). Syrian Christians, A
[56] Scha A select library of Nicene and post-Nicene fathers of
Brief History of the Catholic Church of St. George in
the Christian church 1904 footnote 828 That there were
Milwaukee, Wis. And a Sketch of the Eastern Church.
two dierent views among the Ebionites as to the birth
Retrieved 28 April 2007.
of Christ is stated frequently by Origen (cf. e.g. Contra
Celsum V. 61), but there was unanimity in the denial of his
[43] Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies V, 1.
pre-existence and essential divinity, and this constituted
[44] Robert E. van Voorst (1989). The Ascents of James: His- the essence of the heresy in the eyes of the Fathers from
tory and Theology of a Jewish-Christian Community. So- Irenus on.
ciety of Biblical Literature. ISBN 1-55540-294-1.
[57] International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J p9 Ge-
orey W. Bromiley - 1982 article Ebionites citing
[45] Thomas C. Oden (2006). Ancient Christian commentary
E.H.3.27.3 There were others, however, besides them,
on Scripture: New Testament. InterVarsity Press. pp.
that were of the same name, that avoided the strange and
178. ISBN 978-0-8308-1497-8. Retrieved 14 October
absurd beliefs of the former, and did not deny that the
2010. excerpt from St. Methodius of Olympus, Sympo-
Lord was born of a virgin and of the Holy Spirit. But
sium on Virginity, 8.10., and with regard to the Spirit,
nevertheless, inasmuch as they also refused to acknowl-
such as the Ebionites, who contend that the prophets spoke
edge that he pre-existed, being God, Word, and Wisdom,
only by their own power
they turned aside into the impiety of the former, espe-
cially when they, like them, endeavored to observe strictly
[46] Kriste Stendahl (1991). The Scrolls and the New Testa-
the bodily worship of the law. also source text online at
ment. Herder & Herder. ISBN 0-8245-1136-0.
CCEL.org
[47] Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion, 30:17:5
[58] Albertus Frederik Johannes Klijn, G. J. Reinink Patris-
tic evidence for Jewish-Christian sects 1973 p42 Irenaeus
[48] J Verheyden, Epiphanius on the Ebionites, in The image of
wrote that these Ebionites used the Gospel of Matthew,
the Judaeo-Christians in ancient Jewish and Christian lit-
which explains Theodorets remark. Unlike Eusebius, he
erature, eds Peter J. Tomson, Doris Lambers-Petry, ISBN
did not link Irenaeus reference to Matthew with Origens
3-16-148094-5, pp. 188 The vegetarianism of John the
remarks about the Gospel of the Hebrews,"
Baptist and of Jesus is an important issue too in the Ebion-
ite interpretation of the Christian life. " [59] Edwin K. Broadhead Jewish Ways of Following Jesus:
Redrawing the Religious Map of Antiquity 2010 p209
[49] Bart D. Ehrman (2003). Lost Christianities: The Bat- Theodoret describes two groups of Ebionites on the basis
tles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford of their view of the virgin birth. Those who deny the vir-
University Press. pp. 102, 103. ISBN 0-19-514183-0. gin birth use the Gospel of the Hebrews; those who accept
p.102 - Probably the most interesting of the changes from it use the Gospel of Matthew.
the familiar New Testament accounts of Jesus comes in
the Gospel of the Ebionites description of John the Bap- [60] Hippolytus
tist, who, evidently, like his successor Jesus, maintained a
strictly vegetarian cuisine. [61] Whiston, W. Antiquities 2008 edition p594
8 7 REFERENCES
[62] James the Just and Christian origins p217 Bruce Chilton, [75] Pierre-Antoine Bernheim, James, Brother of Jesus, ISBN
Craig A. Evans - 1999 Isaiah 3:10 in its context expresses 978-0-334-02695-2 The fact that he became the head of
the link between the martyrdom of James and the fall of the Jerusalem church is something which is generally ac-
Jerusalem which the common source used by Hegesippus cepted. from an ABC interview with author.
and the Second Apocalypse of James stressed "
[76] Eisenman (1997), e.g. As presented by Paul, James is
[63] Henry Clay Sheldon -History of Christian Doctrine 1895 the Leader of the early Church par excellence. Terms
But it is by no means clear that Hegesippus was an Ebion- like 'Bishop of the Jerusalem Church' or 'Leader of the
ite. His description of James the Just scarcely goes further Jerusalem Community' are of little actual moment at this
toward proving him an Ebionite than it does toward prov- point, because from the 40s to the 60s CE, when James
ing the same of Eusebius, who not only quotes his descrip- held sway in Jerusalem, there really were no other centres
tion... of any importance. p.154 & there can be little doubt
that 'the Poor' was the name for James Community in
[64] Van Voorst Jerusalem or that Community descended from it in the
East in the next two-three centuries, the Ebionites." p.156
[65] Frank J. Matera Galatians 2007 p77 Here, Paul probably
understands that James, Cephas, and John were consid- [77] Robert Eisenman (2006). The New Testament Code.
ered to be pillars (styloi) of the Church. Watkins Publishing. pp. 34,145,273. ISBN 978-1-
84293-186-8. p.34 - These "Ebionites" are also the fol-
[66] John Painter, Just James (2005), p274: Eusebius re- lowers of James par excellence, himself considered (even
ported that Clement of Alexandria wrote that, after the in early Christian accounts) to be the leader of "the Poor"
ascension, Peter, James, and John chose James the Just as or these selfsame "Ebionites""., p.145 - For James 2:5,
bishop of Jerusalem, although another quotation in Euse- of course, it is "the Poor of this world (the Ebionim
bius implies Jamess leadership from the time of the resur- or Ebionites) whom God chose as Heirs to the Kingdom
rection. Eusebius subjects James to the authority of all the He promised to those that love Him"., p.273 - "...the
apostles in a way that provides evidence of a struggle be- Righteous Teacher" and those of his followers (called "the
tween the Great Church, represented here by the apostles Poor" or "Ebionim" - in our view, James and his Commu-
and the independent authority of James nity, pointedly referred to in the early Church literature, as
will by now have become crystal clear, as "the Ebionites"
[67] Jesus in context: Temple, purity, and restoration Bruce or "the Poor").
Chilton, Craig A. Evans - 1997 p12 Peter defends his
baptisms in the house of Cornelius on the basis of his vi- [78] Michael Goulder (1995). St. Paul versus St. Peter: A Tale
sion in the course of a dispute with... of Two Missions. John Knox Press. pp. 107113, 134.
ISBN 0-664-25561-2. p.134 So the 'Ebionite' Christol-
[68] Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian ogy, which we found rst described in Irenaeus about 180
Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, arti- is not the invention of the late second century. It was the
cle Jerusalem creed of the Jerusalem Church from early times.
[69] Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian [79] Gerd Ludemann (1996). Heretics: The Other Side of Early
Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, arti- Christianity. John Knox Press. pp. 5256. ISBN 0-664-
cle Paul, St 22085-1. Retrieved 27 March 2011. p.52-53 Since there
is a good century between the end of the Jerusalem com-
[70] Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian munity and the writing down of the report quoted above
Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, arti- (by Irenaeus), of course reasons must be given why the
cle Acts of the Apostles group of Ebionites should be seen as an oshoot of the
Jerusalem community. The following considerations tell
[71] James D. G. Dunn Beginning from Jerusalem 2009 p1083 in favor of the historical plausibility of this: 1. The name
This James is a much more conciliatory gure than he is 'Ebionites might be the term this group used to denote
usually thought to be. themselves. 2. Hostility to Paul in the Christian sphere
before 70 is attested above all in groups which come from
[72] Leon Morris The Gospel according to Matthew 1992 p604 Jerusalem. 3. The same is true of observance of the law
but it is objected that Pella is not in fact in the moun- cumulating in circumcision. 4. The direction of prayer
tains but at the foothills. There are serious doubts whether towards Jerusalem makes the derivation of the Ebionites
the Christians in fact did ee to Pella at that time (see from there probable. p.56 - therefore, it seems that we
Hendriksen, p. 858, for the diculties in the way ... cit- should conclude that Justins Jewish Christians are a his-
ing Hendriksen, F. Exposition of the Gospel according to torical connecting link between the Jewish Christianity
Matthew 1973 of Jerusalem before the year 70 and the Jewish Chris-
tian communities summed up in Irenaeus account of the
[73] Jerusalem in Early Christian Thought p75 Explo- heretics.
rations in a Christian theology of pilgrimage ed Craig G.
Bartholomew, Fred Hughes; [80] John Painter (1999). Just James - The Brother of Jesus
in History and Tradition. Fortress Press. pp. 83102,
[74] The Christian Community of Aelia Capitolina in The 229. ISBN 0-8006-3169-2. p.229 A connection between
Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting by Richard Bauck- early Jerusalem Christianity (the Hebrews) and the later
ham. p310. Ebionites is probable.
9
[81] Bauckham We may now assert quite condently that the [96] They too accept the Matthews gospel, and like the follow-
self-consciously low Christology of the later Jewish sect ers of Cerinthus and Merinthus, they use it alone. They
known as the Ebionites does not, as has sometimes been call it the Gospel of the Hebrews, for in truth Matthew
asserted, go back to James and his circle in the early alone in the New Testament expounded and declared the
Jerusalem church. Richard Bauckham, 'James and Jesus,' Gospel in Hebrew using Hebrew script. - Epiphanius, Pa-
in Bruce Chilton, Jacob Neusner, The brother of Jesus: narion 30.3.7
James the Just and his mission, Westminster John Knox
Press, 2001,pp.100-137, p.135. [97] Epiphanius, Panarion 30.13.1
[82] Tabor (2006), p. 4-5, 79-80, 247, 249-251. [98] Walter Richard Cassels, Supernatural Religion - An In-
quiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation, 1877 reprinted
[83] The Blessing of Africa: The Bible and African Christian- print on demand Read Books, 2010. Vol. 1, p 419- 422
ity, Keith Augustus Burton, Intervarsity Press 2007, pp.
116,117. ISBN 978-0-8308-2762-6 [99] Pierson Parker, A Proto-Lukan Basis for the Gospel Ac-
cording to the Hebrews, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol.
[84] "[The Ebionites] declare that he was a Greek [...] He 59, No. 4, 1940. pp 471
went up to Jerusalem, they say, and when he had spent
some time there, he was seized with a passion to marry [100] The Complete Gospels. Polebridge Press, Robert J. Miller
the daughter of the priest. For this reason he became a ed. 1994. p. 436. ISBN 0-06-065587-9.
proselyte and was circumcised. Then, when he failed to
get the girl, he ew into a rage and wrote against circum- [101] Robert Walter Funk, The Gospel of Jesus: according to the
cision and against the sabbath and the Law " - Epiphanius Jesus Seminar, Publisher Polebridge Press, 1999.
of Salamis, Panarion 30.16.6-9
[102] F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingston, The Oxford Dictionary
[85] Petri Luomanen (2007). Matt Jackson-McCabe, ed. Jew- of the Christian Church, 1989, Oxford University Press,
ish Christianity Reconsidered. Fortress Press. p. 88. ISBN p. 438 - 439.
978-0-8006-3865-8.
[103] Symmachus Hypomnemata is mentioned by Eusebius in
[86] Richard Bauckham (2003). The Image of the Judeo- his Historia Ecclesiae, VI, xvii: "As to these translators it
Christians in Ancient Jewish and Christian Literature. should be stated that Symmachus was an Ebionite. But the
Brill, Peter J. Tomson and Doris Lambers-Petry eds. pp. heresy of the Ebionites, as it is called, asserts that Christ
162181. ISBN 3-16-148094-5. Retrieved 11 February was the son of Joseph and Mary, considering him a mere
2011. see particularly pp.174-175 man, and insists strongly on keeping the law in a Jewish
manner, as we have seen already in this history. Commen-
[87] Richard Bauckham (January 1996). The Relatives of Je- taries of Symmachus are still extant in which he appears
sus. Themelios 21 (2): 1821. Retrieved 11 February to support this heresy by attacking the Gospel of Matthew.
2011. Reproduced in part by permission of the author. Origen states that he obtained these and other commen-
taries of Symmachus on the Scriptures from a certain Ju-
[88] John Toland, Nazarenus, or Jewish, Gentile and Ma- liana, who, he says, received the books by inheritance from
hometan Christianity, 1718. Symmachus himself."; Jerome, De Viris Illustribus, chap-
[89] Blackhirst, R. (2000). Barnabas and the Gospels: Was ter 54, Church History, VI, 17.
There an Early Gospel of Barnabas?, Journal of Higher
[104] Jerome, De viris illustribus, 54.
Criticism, 7/1, p. 122. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
[105] Oscar Skarsaune (2007). Jewish Believers in Jesus. Hen-
[90] "Ebionites". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert
drickson Publishers. pp. 448450. ISBN 978-1-56563-
Appleton Company. 1913.
763-4. Skarsaune argues that Eusebius may have only in-
[91] Those who are called Ebionites accept that God made the ferred that Symmachus was an Ebionite based on his com-
world. However, their opinions with respect to the Lord are mentaries on certain passages in the Hebrew Scriptures.
quite similar to those of Cerinthus and Carpocrates. They E.g., Eusebius mentions Isa 7:14 where Symmachus reads
use Matthews gospel only, and repudiate the Apostle Paul, young woman based on the Hebrew text rather than vir-
maintaining that he was an apostate from the Law. - Ire- gin as in the LXX, and he interprets this commentary as
naeus, Haer 1.26.2 attacking the Gospel of Matthew.(Dem. ev. 7.1) and (Hist.
eccl. 5.17)
[92] Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, IV, 21, 8.
[106] Gerard P. Luttikhuizen The revelation of Elchasai 1985
[93] James R. Edwards, The Hebrew Gospel & the Develop- p216
ment of the Synoptic Tradition, 2009 Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co, 2009. pp 121 [107] Antti Marjanen, Petri Luomanen A companion to second-
century Christian heretics p336
[94] Nicholson The Gospel according to the Hebrews, 1879
reprinted print on demand BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009. pp [108] , Philosophumena, IX, 14-17. Luttikhuizen 1985
1-81 Epiphanius deviates so strikingly from Hippolytus ac-
count of the heresy of Alcibiades that we cannot possibly
[95] William Whiston & H. Stebbing, The Life and Works of assume that he is dependent on the Refutation.
Flavius Josephus, reprinted Vol II, Kessinger Publishing,
2006. p 576 [109] Epiphanius, Panarion, 19, 1; 53, 1.
10 9 EXTERNAL LINKS
8 Literature
Rev. J. M. Fuller, Ebionism and Ebionites, in
Henry Wace (ed.), A Dictionary of Christian Biog-
raphy and Literature to the End of the Sixth Cen-
tury A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and
Heresies. ISBN 1-56563-460-8
G. Uhlhorn, Ebionites, in: Philip Scha (ed.), A
Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical,
Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd
ed. (1894), p. 684685 (vol. 2).
Wilson, Barrie (2008). How Jesus Became Christian
- The early Christians and the transformation of a
Jewish teacher into the Son of God. Orion. ISBN
978-0-297-85200-1.
Jerey Butz (2010). The Secret Legacy of Jesus. In-
ner Traditions. ISBN 978-1-59477-307-5.
Goranson, Stephen. 'Ebionites, in D Freedman
(ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York:
Doubleday, 1992), vol. 2, pp. 2601.
9 External links
Website for the modern Ebionite movement
"Ebionites". The American Cyclopdia. 1879.
11
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